Fanboy and Chum Chum and Jessica Too
by Jessica12357
Summary: Jessica and her family moves to Galaxy Hills, only to receive a note from a FB and CC. The next day not only does she find two new friends, she might've found her first boyfriend.
1. A Mysterious Note

A/N: I do not own Fanboy and Chum Chum. I am sorry if I don't have all the facts right on here. I've only seen a few episodes because this show doesn't come on a lot on my TV. :( So please bear with me. I was inspired to this from reading Samantha1105's A Girl, A Wizard, and Two Superheroes. I highly recommend you read it. Thank you. The character Jessica is based off of me, in case you are wondering.

...

When you fall asleep, it's like you close your eyes and your mind just wanders off. But the way I was sleeping was different. It was like I just closed my eyes and hoped I would soon lull off to sleep. But it was impossible. Why? Tomorrow we would be MOVING. The word had an ominous feel to a child, and it basically meant leaving behind everything you'd known in your previous life.

And when you've lived in a particular area all your life, there's an even emptier feel to it. We were leaving the comfort of the South to a suburb up in Ohio, a few miles outside of Toledo. It seemed unreal, not right, and impossible in a word. But sure enough I had explained to my friends Christy and Bella just yesterday at school I would have to move. Bella took it well, being a sagacious being, but Christy was a bit more panicky about it. I worry about that girl sometimes...

Anyways, the reality was hitting me like a wrecking ball, but of course there was nothing I could do about it. My dad needed to keep his job, and if we were going to survive this unpredictable economy, he had to do what the bosses told him. At exactly 6:00 we would have to get up, pack all our bags into my mom's car, and start a long, tedious journey to an unfamiliar place.

I probably sound very lugubrious right now, but I'm a good natured person per se. My name is Jessica. I like animated stuff, making stories, and using big words in my vocabulary. I'm normally quiet, shy, and clean. But I know how to have fun, too. As my tale continues, though, you will learn more about me.

At 6:00, my alarm clock went off, and I reluctantly got up and switched it off. I also unplugged it and put it in my backpack since the rest of our stuff was sitting in the living room until the moving van got here. I was barely able to lift my head I was so tired. We ate a quick breakfast of strawberry cereal bars and orange juice before the moving van arrived. The boxes were packed up, and my parents, my dog Lucy, and I got into my mom's car for the drive, a drive that would possibly change my life.

...

Three hours later, my mom parked in the driveway of our new house. As soon as I got out of the car, I immediately sensed something strange. Ohio is FLAT. Back home, you were surrounded by mountains even downtown. Now I couldn't see any. But I didn't have to think about this much since I had to hurry and put up the boxes. While I was helping, I couldn't help but have the strange feeling we were being watched. I would look in every direction, but there was no sign of anyone but my parents, the movers, and me.

"Sweetie, is there something wrong?" my mom asked, looking at me.

"N-no, Mom," I answered. "I'm fine. Really." But I still couldn't get rid of that funny feeling. Every now and again I could hear a faint giggle. When the last box was put in the house, I went back outside to see if there was anyone there. There wasn't. Instead, I found a note lying on the ground. Curious, I picked it up and scrutinized it. It was light blue note pad paper with some guy named Man-Arctica at the top.

It said: Welcome to the neighborhood, friend. Hope you're in our class tomorrow! -FB and CC I was glad someone recognized me, but I was a bit suspicious. For one thing, whoever FB and CC were, they didn't bother showing their faces. Were they the mysterious gigglers? Secondly, why did they abbreviate their names? I wasn't sure, but soon I heard my dad call me.

"Jessica, hurry back! It's cold outside!"

I remembered the chill of the November air and stuffed the note back in my pocket, puzzling over the mysterious FB and CC. Tomorrow was Thursday, so I would have to start school already. My parents already arranged everything via E-mail and phone. Some guy named Mr. Mufflin would be my teacher. Maybe FB and CC are in his class. I knew I would just have to wait and see until tomorrow.

...

Okay, so that's the first chapter. Stuff will get more exciting in the next chapter hopefully, and I'm sure you all can tell who the mysterious "FB and CC" are. ;D Please stay tuned.


	2. New School, New Friends, New Crush

Jessica is the only character I own. The others are owned by Eric Robles.

...

I got up easily the next morning and was able to eat a decent breakfast of toast and orange juice. I had made sure three times my hair looked good enough. I don't want some ignoramus calling it a bird nest or something. It's not that it's frizzy, and it's barely curled at the ends. But some people will start any kind of calumny just to make someone feel bad. My mom came back in from starting the car up early to warm it up as I was brushing my teeth. "You ready to go yet, Jess?" she asked.

"I'm worried, Mom," I sighed after I spit out my toothpaste.

"You'll do fine, hon," she smiled. I smiled back. I picked up my binder and messenger from my bed, leaving Dad to the tedious task of repainting the window frames white because whoever the last owners made them pink.

...

Ten minutes later we parked in front of the school, and I slowly got out of the car. I waved to my mom as she drove off. Luckily not only did my parents find out my homeroom teacher, but I also got to know my locker number/combination. That eased my mind a little bit. As I walked to my locker, I noticed some kids staring at me. I wore a long sleeved brown shirt with black stripes, jeans, and white sneakers, but nothing ostentatious or out of the ordinary. Maybe it was because I was new. Still, I felt uncomfortable, so I kept my head down.

I approached my locker, but before I worked on the combination, I noticed the boy next to my left was having an unusually hard time getting his locker door to shut. He had red hair, braces, a striped shirt, and...a black cape? I didn't want to ask about that. On the other hand, he was pretty cute and made me feel happy for some reason, and I felt like it was my duty to help him.

"Do you need help?" I asked him. He jumped a little, as if he had just now noticed me.

"Oh, um, yes. A bit of assistance would be beneficial," he replied in a most attractive British accent, even for his age. He opened it a smidge so I could figure out the problem. One of his books on the bottom was lying horizontally instead of vertically. I stooped down to adjust it in its proper place. His face flushed a bit at his mistake. "Thank you very much...um, I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Jessica," I replied, smiling. "I just moved here." He took my hand in a most graceful manner and shook it in with the utmost courtesy of a gentleman, making my heart pound.

"_I_ am Kyle the Conjurer," he responded, "but you may just call me Kyle." Conjurer? I was a bit suspicious, but before I could inquire about it, I noticed he was looking at my mouth. "You have the most impeccably straight teeth I've ever seen," he admired. I had to blush.

"Thanks."

Kyle drooped his head and said sadly, "I just wish this accursed braces would hurry up and make mine like that." I gave him a look of sympathy.

"Aww, don't worry Kyle. They'll work some day. Besides, I like your smile."

Kyle brightened. "_Really?_" I nodded, and he blushed. "Th-thank you, Jessica." I put my stuff into my locker and only took the stuff I needed for the class. I was happily surprised to see Kyle was sitting right in front of me, giving me a peace of mind. Suddenly there was a loud ruckus in the hallway, and two boys _pogo-sticked _into the classroom, laughing and hollering like two complete maniacs! Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kyle do a face palm and mutter something about imbeciles. What was even more amazing is what these boys were wearing: **superhero costumes. **The last time I checked, Halloween was over weeks ago.

One of them was tall and thin with a purple and green costume that covered all his head except his from his mouth down to his neck. The other was short and fat with an orange costume and a black mask. Both of them were also wearing underwear on the **outside. **They were the craziest duo I had ever laid eyes on, and Mr. Mufflin didn't seem amused by their antics.

"Will you two PLEASE just sit down!" he said in an exceedingly exasperated tone. The two boys scrambled to their desks and put their pogos inside their pockets somehow (I don't want to know). Something told me that that wasn't the first time they had done that. I saw the tall one look at me, and then he pointed me out to his friend. Their excited muffled giggling made me uncomfortable...yet for some reason it was familiar. But where?

I didn't have time to think about it, because just then the bell rang. But that didn't stop those two from acting up. While we said the Pledge of Allegiance, the taller one made armpit farts throughout the whole thing. I tried not to notice for fear I'd crack up. Then Mr. Mufflin went up to the front of the room. Something told me he was a decaf addict, because he looked like the most bored person in the state.

"Class," he began in a monotonous tone, "today we have a new student. Please give a warm welcome to Janine."

"Jessica," I corrected.

"Right. Jessica."

I didn't expect anyone to say anything, but I felt like disappearing when the two boys in the superhero costumes starting CHEERING for me. I sunk down in my seat, embarrassed. I HATE to be the center of attention. Luckily, Mr. Mufflin got out an air horn and blasted it to quiet them down. But while he had his back turned to the chalkboard, Kyle turned his head around to smile at me. I did the same back. _Maybe this class won't be so bad after all, _I thought.

...

After a long and insipid discussion on the sleeping habits of slugs, the lunch bell finally rang.

It was some kind of casserole with some yellow and green stuff in it that smelled like turpentine, and since I'm the new kid, lunch lady Cram gave a second helping. Oh joy. At least they serve pudding on Thursdays. That and the chocolate milk were the only good things on my tray. I examined the cafeteria, trying to find a decent group of people to sit with.

"HEY JESSICA!"

I turned my head towards the voices and saw the two boys from my classroom waving me over to their table. As goofy as they were, they were nice enough, so I decided to give them a the benefit of a doubt. Gingerly I walked over and sat down next to the short one.

"We thought you'd never come over here!" the short one said.

I put a straw in my chocolate milk. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You got our note didn't you?" the tall one said.

"Wait...YOUR note?" I cried. They both nodded. I took the note out of my pocket and laid it on the table.

"That's it!" the short one said excitedly. Well, the mystery was solved. Apparently these two wanted to be my friends.

"Why would you guys want to be friends with a girl?" I inquired. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Chum Chum and I aren't really into girls, but since you're new, we want to give you our own personal tour of the town! We think you're cool, too," the tall one said in one breath, then proceeded to stick forks in his mouth to act like a walrus. Chum Chum did the same.

"Your name's Chum Chum?" I said incredulously.

"I have a real name," he explained, "but Chum Chum is my superhero name." The other one stood up dramatically.

"And I'M Fanboy!" Fanboy and Chum Chum. What names! But they were being nice to me since I was new, so I couldn't complain.

"Thanks guys," I smiled.

"Wanna go to the Frosty Mart with us after school?" Chum Chum asked.

"Sure. I'll just call my mom and tell her where we're going later," I replied. They cheered and hugged me, as if we had known each other for years and not just five minutes.

I had a feeling being friends with these two would be _very _interesting...

...


	3. Confrontations

After school as promised, Fanboy and Chum Chum walked me downtown to the Frosty Mart. From the way they were describing it, I must admit I was expecting more than a little convenient store.

"So what's so special about this place?" I asked.

"This," Fanboy began dramatically, "is the home of what is possibly the world's greatest frozen treat in a plastic cup: the Frosty Freezy Freeze!"

"Hard to say, but fun to eat," Chum Chum added.

"How much is one?" I asked.

"Only a dollar!" they chimed simultaneously. I had to admit that was a pretty good deal and I did have a 5 dollar bill, so I let my new friends drag me inside. It was freezing cold inside, like a big refrigerator, despite the briskness of the autumn wind outside. The shelves were stocked with all kinds of bags and boxes filled with sugary and salty concoctions, and they ran immediately to the Freezy Freeze maker in the back.

I noticed a teen behind the counter with glasses reading a magazine look at Fanboy and Chum Chum and roll his eyes. I was surprised that the boys' exuberance hadn't rubbed off on the rest of the town.

"You all right?" I asked. He looked up. I noticed his tag read "Lenny."

"Believe me. If you had to put up with those every day you'd understand."

"Well, I just met them," I replied. He snorted.

"Good luck with that...umm, have I seen you somewhere before?"

I shook my head. "I doubt it," I said. "I just moved in."

"Oh, okay. Well, uh, welcome to the neighborhood." Something told me that Lenny would be a much cheerful person if you got to know him better, but I didn't have time to think as Fanboy called me over.

"Jess, are you gettin' a Freezy Freeze?" I snapped my attention back to him.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I walked over. There were only two colors: pink and blue, which is pink lemonade and blue raspberry. Fanboy and Chum Chum both got pink, so I decided to do the same. After all, they knew what was cool and what wasn't, in a way. After we paid for our drinks, we decided to walk to the park. There were a lot of kids from our school there, playing, talking, laughing, it was generally a lively atmosphere.

We sat down on a bench, drinking our Freezy Freezes happily. "So do you like yours?" Chum Chum asked me.

"I have one heck of a brain freeze right now," I answered, "but it's really good!" They both gasped in excitement.

"You have your first Freezy Brain Freeze!" they said together. It's like I had just made a humongous accomplishment, but before they hugged me, their eyes widened in terror at a figure coming our ways. Before I knew it, they were hiding behind me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"He's coming," Fanboy chattered nervously, and pointed a gloved finger in the direction of who was coming. I saw a gorilla of a high schooler coming in our direction in a Frosty Mart uniform. He seemed to targetting them personally. He cracked his knuckles, and a sense of doom was felt in all the kids there as they watched him get nearer.

"Step aside, girly," that big oaf said. "I got two dweebs with my name on them ta bop!" I noted his New Yorker accent, and not to be stereotypical, but I sensed he was a tough guy. Still, I had to defend my turf.

"First of all, my name's not girly," I retorted, "and second, you should just go pick on someone your own size!"

"There ain't no one here my size," he grinned, "but even if there was, it's a lot more fun ta bop the smaller ones." I gave him the Evil Eye, and he seemed a bit startled.

"Listen pal," I said coldly, "I don't know who you are, but you best be leaving my friends alone, you gorilla!" The kids gasped at my audacity to insult him.

"Fa your info, brownie, I am the Chimp Chomps champion and the best bopper in this town!" he gloated.

"Brownie? What kind of insult is that?" I laughed. Just because I have brown hair doesn't necessarily mean it's funny when attempted as an insult. "And why should I be impressed with those 'accomplishments'?" I added using air quotes. His face slightly flushed for having his power challenged.

"Listen, ya little ankle biter," he growled, "I ain't in no mood, so move it or I'll bop you right along with your little dweeby friends!"

Chum Chum whispered, "Jessica, don't get Boog mad!"

I looked at Boog in amazement. "BOOG? What kind of ridiculous name is THAT?" Remembering something from a movie, I added, "What is that short for? BOOGER?"

I'm not sure, but I theorize that all the kids are so terrified of him, they didn't take time to think about that. In an instant, ALL the kids were laughing. Boog's face turned crimson. "No, i-it's not, I-" he stammered. He looked at the kids laughing under him, and I think he muttered something like "Mary, Mother of God." Catholic blasphemy, I guess. Then he just stomped off to avoid any further embarrassment.

That hug that had been interrupted by Boog's presence was now fully embraced at his exit. "That was AWESOME!" Fanboy cried.

"Yeah, you totally made Boog look like a loser!" Chum Chum added. I smiled.

"Anything for my friends," I replied. All of the rest of the kids seemed to be cheering for me, and when it eventually died down, I noticed one in particular looking at me from behind a tree.

Kyle.

"Um, guys? Will you excuse me for a sec?" I asked. They nodded and I walked towards Kyle. I felt my heart go up into my throat, pounding all the way. That braced smile warmed me up inside.

"My, my, Jessica," he said in an impressed tone, "that was quite an undertaking! You're very courageous." His accent was beginning to cast its spell on me, but I shook it off to keep my cool.

"Eh, it was nothing," I said modestly.

He nodded, then said timidly, "Umm...could I ask you something?"

"Sure," I answered.

"Well, you know how the teachers and Janitor Poopatine-"

Chum Chum popped out of nowhere and said, "Poop!" before disappearing again. Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Anyways," he continued, "you know how they've been putting up flyers for the Autumnal Dance?" I had a feeling where this was going, but I simply nodded. Kyle gulped, "Well, I was just wondering if you, in the event that you're coming, would like to be my...d-date." I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Well," I said slowly, "I guess, I-"

Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared behind Kyle, and a voice behind him said, "Not so fast, _mein freund_. She will want to be MY date." Kyle whirled around and gasped.

"SIGMUND!"

...

To be continued.


	4. Interrupted Romance

Standing behind Kyle was a boy around our age with silver hair in some kind of leathery black garb. Kyle scowled. "What do YOU want, Sigmund?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sigmund replied in a thick German accent. "The young fraulein needs an escort to the dance."

Kyle chuckled gloatingly. "Yes, that's why I'm here..."

Sigmund snorted in a patronizing manner. "Why should she choose you, when she could go with someone with more, shall we say...substance?"

"Umm...what's going on here?" I managed to break in.

"Jessica, don't pay any attention to-" but Kyle was interrupted by Sigmund giving him a rather harsh shove out of the way. Sigmund stepped up to me with a smile on his face.

"Hallo, my beautiful Jessica. I've been in town for the past week, and you certainly caught my eye when I saw you yesterday, _mein liebe_." I didn't understand a lot of German, but something told me by the way he kissed my hand that he was definitely interested in me. He said in a romantic tone, "Ich liebe dich, fraulein."

"Uhh...thanks, I guess," I said uncertainly. Kyle was fuming at this point, almost literally.

"Sigmund, get your hands off-" Sigmund shoved his gloved hand into Kyle's face to silence him.

"Jessica, don't waste your time with this amateur," Sigmund scoffed. "I am the one who will take you to the dance."

"What makes you think I'll say yes?" I said suspiciously. Sigmund chuckled.

"I happen to be the best sorcerer at Milkweed, my love, not to mention twice as effusive and experienced than Kyle the Constipator will ever be."

"Conjurer!" Kyle barely choked out. I gave Sigmund a disapproving glare, which seemed to catch him off guard.

"I do NOT take kindly to egomaniacs," I answered flatly. I crossed my arms and turned my head from Sigmund.

"Jessica," Sigmund pleaded, "I have been watching you ever since you moved in, and I love you! Your eyes that are like two pools of crystal water, your teeth the color of Pacific pearls, your hair-"

I was getting fed up with this biker Nazi or whatever he was dressed up as, so I turned around with a glare. The color in Sigmund's face retreated, and he let go of Kyle's face. I marched right up to Sigmund and poked my right index finger right on his nose.

"Listen you arrogant weirdo," I growled, "Kyle happens to be a kind, sweet, and thoughtful guy, while you just push the good ones around! I don't want to be seen with a dominating JERK like YOU!" I thought a vein in my neck would pop out any minute I was so angry. When I finished, Kyle began to chew out Sigmund.

"Sigmund, you've gone too far! Now just take it like a gentleman and beat it!"

"Tsk tsk, Kyle. She'd just see the loser in you if you went with her, you know." Soon the two got into a full-fledged argument. To escape their madness, I did the only thing I could think of: I ran, which I did until I made it home. Then I slammed the door shut and locked it. This day was becoming a nightmare. My brain had always told me that it would be fun to be fought over by two boys, but my heart told me it was a horrid situation. Or maybe it was vice versa. Either way, I had to be away from the boys. I looked out the window carefully and saw them calling my name. Kyle said something angry to Sigmund, who then vanished out of annoyance.

Kyle rolled his eyes at his enemy's disappearance and went up to my door. I unlocked for him. He gave me a sheepish smile and held his arm like it had been punched. "Umm...hey," he said shyly.

I smiled, "Hi. Come in." He did so, and plopped onto the couch tiredly. "Can I get you something to drink, Kyle?" I offered.

"I don't suppose you have any chamomile, do you?" he sighed.

"Actually, we do," I answered. Suddenly all the energy came back into him and he jerked his head towards me.

"YOU drink hot tea, too!" Kyle said incredulously.

"I don't drink it as often as I used to," I replied nonchalantly, "but I do occasionally have a cup." I saw Kyle fold his hands together, look up, and mouth a thank you towards Heaven.

"All this time I thought I was the only one," he sighed happily. I grinned and went back into the kitchen to make some tea. A few minutes later I came back with two mugs of hot tea. "Thank you so much, Jessica. Tea is one of the few remaining things I have in America to remind me of back home in England." Kyle took a sip and added, "You're a very good hostess."

"I try," I replied modestly, trying not to blush. "So how do you know that Sigmund jerk back there?"

Kyle hesitated before answering, "We went to Milkweed together."

"What's Milkweed?"

"It's a school."

"Ahh. But what was he saying about sorcerers and stuff?"

Kyle hesitated once more, this time in a longer interval. "That's what I was telling you this morning. Milkweed is a school of magic. That explains this cape, and my wand is at home. All Sigmund has ever done is show me up, hence he's my arch nemesis." My eyes widened, and for a moment I couldn't utter a sound. "Jessica, are you okay?" Kyle asked.

"I-I just can't believe this...I didn't think things that like that were possible..." Kyle set his tea down on the table and took my hands into his. His were soft and clean feeling; it made me feel secure in that one position, just holding his hands.

"Jessica," he began, "I know this is a trifle bit awkward for you to learn, but I just want to let you know I do not use my magic for any evil whatsoever. Besides, if I had the choice, I would give up all the magic in my wand to be with you."

I blushed. "Kyle, do you really mean that?"

He blushed, too. "Yes. Yes I do mean that." We smiled at each other as we let go of our hands, and for a moment we just sat there. Then very slowly we inched little by little towards each other, and, our faces being a mere inch from the other, when it looked like we were going to kiss, the door was flung open abruptly. It was Fanboy and Chum Chum.

"Jessica! There you are! Are you okay?" Fanboy asked. Kyle and I inched away from each other.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," I answered. "Why do you ask?"

"We'd left for a minute to buy you a pretzel at the Frosty Mart as a surprise," Chum Chum explained, "and when we came back, we saw you yelling at Sigmund and then you started running!" Kyle seemed agitated when the crawled onto the couch between us, Fanboy on his left and Chum Chum on my right.

"Aww, you guys are sweet," I said, and secretly I winked at Kyle so he wouldn't feel left out, which seemed to soften his disposition. "I'm fine, though."

"So Kyle, what are you doing over here?" Fanboy asked. Kyle hesitated. He wasn't going to tell them how he was about to ask me out OR that we had been this close to kissing.

"I was, just, um...seeing if she was alright as well," he replied. That seemed to satisfy the two.

"Well, we better go now," Chum Chum said to Fanboy. "Oz is having that new shipment of Manarctica stuff coming in today."

"Oh man, that's today?" Fanboy cried. "Sorry, Jess! Gotta go! But we'll see you later!" They ran out the door quickly, leaving Kyle and I alone once more.

Kyle sighed in relief. "Finally. I thought they'd never leave...where was I? Oh yes..." He took my hands into his again and flashed that braced smile at me. "Jessica, would you care to be my date for the Autumnal Dance?"

I smiled, "I'd love to."


	5. Drama at the Dance

A/N: I was not expecting this to happen, but this chapter will center more around Jessica and Kyle, though she will have her shares of adventures with Fanboy and Chum Chum later on. Things start to get a little bit more mature, but not to the point where this story is Rated T or M.

...

That night at dinner all I could think of was Kyle. Those dreamy green eyes, that adorable braced smile, that silky red hair...and to think I'd come THIS close to kissing him on the first day we met. My first day of school was turning out better than I'd planned: I made new friends, scored a date to the dance, drove away a bully, got fought over by two boys, had a massive brain freeze, and as I'd said before, I almost kissed a boy. To me it sounded too good to be true.

My mother could tell I was thinking hard.

"How was school, Jessica?" she asked casually. I looked up from my plate.

"Oh, uh, it was just fine," I replied. "I made some new friends today after school."

"Well that's great!" Dad said.

"Also," I continued, "we're having an Autumnal dance coming up soon."

"But Autumn started back in September," Mom said. "Why didn't they have it then?"

"I think they had Fall Break instead that week. Anyways, I'm already going with someone."

"Jessica, we're so proud of you," Dad said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For getting acquainted so soon to your new home," Mom finished. I had to admit for me that was a big accomplishment, being a shy person, which made me wonder how I'd ever make it through the dance, even with Kyle by my side, and if that Sigmund jerk showed up again, I don't know how it would end.

...

A week passed, until the next Friday it was finally the dance. I stood for what seemed like forever in front of my closet. Females tend to face a dreaded paradox: a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear. I doubted any of the students cared about getting all dolled up for a dance, but still I wanted to make myself presentable. Especially for Kyle.

A loose, violet blouse with mid-length sleeves was hanging in a way that told me it had not be worn in quite a while, which was strange since purple was my favorite color. I put that on and switched my white sneakers for black high tops. I looked in the mirror to decide what else should change. I pushed my glasses up to align with my eyes better. At that time my mom came in and looked at me.

"You look so pretty, darling," she said. I did a little awkward smile, since I'm a modest person and do not take compliments easily, though they're appreciated.

"Thanks, Mom." She brushed my hair and suggested I put some earrings on, so I put in some hoops. We looked again. "I think that looks right. Don't you, Mom?"

"Yes," Mom smiled. She kissed me on the head. "Are you ready to go now?" I looked at the clock, and discovered I hadn't been paying attention to the time.

"Aww man!" I cried. "I'm going to be late! Let's go!" I put some lip gloss on hurriedly and stuffed it into my pocket before following Mom and Dad out to the car. I prayed the night would go well and Kyle and I would have fun.

...

We arrived at the school in a short amount of time. It was dark out already, but you could see the lights on in the gym. Other parents were dropping off their kids for the dance like me. I gulped.

"You can do it, Jessie," Dad assured me.

"Okay...I guess...'bye Mom. 'Bye Dad!" I felt in my pocket and made sure my cell phone was still there in case I had to be picked up early. It was. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. I looked around for Kyle or Fanboy and Chum Chum, but they were no where in sight.

"Yoo hoo! Jessica!" This voice wasn't from Kyle, Fanboy, or Chum Chum. I looked, and recognized a girl from my class standing with two other girls. She had black hair and a colorful, girly outfit. I walked over to them. "Do you remember us?" she asked.

"I know you're in my class," I answered, "but I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

She giggled and introduced herself as Yo, and her friends as Lupe and Nancy. I smiled after she had stated their names. "Hi."

Yo suddenly seemed to notice my shirt and gasped. "Oh. My. Gosh! That top looks SO cute on you!" They grouped around me, and I blushed.

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do!"

Lupe was feeling around my hair. "Oh, your hair is so pretty!" she admired. I mentally noted her strong Hispanic accent.

"Thank you," I said.

"Your glasses are cool!" Nancy said. "I wish I had some just like it. Will you be staying with us the rest of the dance?"

"Sorry. I have a date." They gasped excitedly.

"Oooh!" Yo squealed. "Which one? Which one?" She added seriously, "It's not Chum Chum is it?"

"Uh, no," I said. She sighed in relief. "It's Kyle."

"KYLE?" They said in unison. I was starting to feel annoyed.

"Is there an echo in here? YES, Kyle. What about it?"

"Well..." Nancy began, "...Kyle is just kinda...he's...um.."

"He es muy loco!" Lupe said.

"And a bit of a nerd," Yo added.

"What's wrong with nerds?" I demanded. "Besides, have you even talked to him before and gotten to know him?" Yo, Lupe, and Nancy all looked at each other sheepishly.

"No," they said in defeat.

"Well, I can't leave him waiting. I'll catch you girls later...maybe." I stomped off towards the gym, frowning at the time I'd already wasted. A queue of kids in the hall were waiting to be admitted by Janitor Poopatine, who was serving as one of the chaperones. Luckily, Kyle happened to be the last person in line, leaning against one of the lockers. His serious frown turned into a smile when he saw me.

"There you are! I was beginning to think you weren't coming," he said.

"Kyle, you silly wizard you. Why would I miss this?" We were accepted, and as we walked in I asked, "You haven't seen Fanboy and Chum Chum lately, have you?"

"Fortunately no," Kyle answered. "I wouldn't want those two ninnies to ruin this for us." But unfortunately for Kyle, whom should be at the refreshment table digging into the food but Fanboy and Chum Chum. Kyle groaned. "I've spoken too soon."

I laughed. Chum Chum turned around and waved towards us. "Hi Jessica! Hi Kyle!" he cried. His mouth was filled with pumpkin seeds. A bit of saliva flew out and hit Kyle on the forehead. "Oops! Let me get that!" He took a napkin and crawled onto Kyle to wipe it off. On the way up he accidentally kicked Kyle in the gut, which made him really mad.

"Oh for Heaven's sake!" Kyle yelled. "Let ME do it, you sniveling little wretch!" He pushed Chum Chum off of him and wiped it off himself.

"I was just trying to help," Chum Chum said sadly. I felt sorry for the little guy.

"Kyle, don't be so mean to Chum Chum!" I scolded. Kyle looked sheepishly at his feet.

"You're right. I'm terribly sorry." He threw the napkin into a trash receptacle and added, "I just want this night to be perfect."

Fanboy put his arm around Kyle's shoulder and smiled that lovable buck-toothed smiled. "Of course things are perfect! The food's delicious, the music's great-though it'd be better if Manarctica was doing it again-and best of all, we're all here together, us friends!" I happened to notice Fanboy and Chum Chum's clothes after he said that. They were wearing tuxedo jackets, top hats, and bow ties matching their costumes.

"You guys look really fancy tonight!" I said.

"Thanks!" they grinned. Then they turned to the table again to devour some cupcakes. Kyle look offended.

"What about ME?" he insisted. I hugged him.

"Kyle, you always look your best." He smiled back, blushing a teensy bit. I poured us some cups of cider, and he told me about Milkweed, the Necronomicon, England, and all kinds of other interesting subjects. He also explained more about why he and Sigmund hated each other so much.

"You know, Jessica, you're really the first female companion I've had before."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He took my hand. "You're the only girl who's ever paid any serious attention to me the way you do. That, with the intellectual, kindness, and guilelessness that you naturally bestow, is what why I admire you so."

"But Kyle," I blushed, "I'm not pretty like all the other girls..."

He chuckled softly and put his hand under my chin. "Jessica, looks do not matter to me. Your inner beauty is your true beauty." We smiled at each other, and then he added, "Oh dear me, I forgot to ask. Where did you just recently move from?"

"The South," I replied. Kyle looked surprised.

"Really? You do not carry such an accent."

"I kind of talk out of it," I explained. I told him more about from where I lived until it came time for a dance. The first song was for a line dance, but it soon got broken up when Fanboy and Chum Chum did the Flamingo, Funky Cheese Grater, and Buttered the Bread instead of the selected dance. You don't want to know what it looked like. Then it was switched to a slow dance, which made me nervous. To my delightful surprise, though, I danced with Kyle, the wizard of my dreams, without tripping or doing something incredibly embarrassing.

It was hard not to blush. I am not a good dancer, mainly because I choose not to, but there was something that happened. Something inside me that made me feel as if I knew everything that had to do with the dance we were doing.

"Have you taken dance lessons before?" Kyle asked.

"I once took ballet when I was, like, seven," I replied, "but I quit because I got bored. Besides that the shoes I had to wear pinched my feet. Why do you ask?"

He laughed at my anecdote, then said," I was just curious. You're doing a splendid job."

"You're pretty light on your feet yourself."

His cheeks turned the color of his hair once more. "Thank you. No one's ever complimented me on my dancing before...but then again no one's ever offered to dance with me before." I felt sorry for Kyle, like I was his only hope, but luckily I liked him in return, so it would be beneficial for both of us. After the song ended, Fanboy and Chum Chum caught up with us again, grinning wildly.

"You guys looked great up there!" Fanboy said.

"Yeah! Are you two dating?" Chum Chum asked. It came as a bit of a surprise, but I knew I had to answer without signs of agitation.

"No, Chum Chum," I replied calmly. "Kyle and I are just friends. Right, Kyle?"

"Oh yes. Great friends," he agreed.

"Kyle's especially great," Chum Chum chimed in. "You should've seen the time when he was tied to the flagpole by his braces! He's the first one to do that, you know."

"He's also the first one to split his pants during a game of kickball," Fanboy added. I tried not to laugh because Kyle was getting embarrassed.

"Excuse me," he said stiffly, and stomped off towards the boys' restroom.

I turned to Fanboy and Chum Chum. "Guys, I think you embarrassed him a little too much."

"We didn't mean to," they said.

"Oh, I know you didn't, guys," I told them, "but Kyle is kind of sensitive tonight."

"Isn't that Kyle now?" Chum Chum pointed behind me. I looked, and sure enough there was Kyle walking up to us.

"Jess, love, could you meet me outside for a moment?" he asked me. His voice sounded awfully strange, but I assumed maybe it was laryngitis from the cold.

"Sure Kyle," I smiled. I took him by the hand and let him lead me outside. His palm felt so warm, and it made me so nice inside, even when we were outside in the cold fall air. After I had walked out with Kyle, he took me near a tree. "Are you feeling okay, Kyle?" I asked him.

"Of course, love," he replied in his modified voice. Suddenly his whole voice and accent change when he said in a devilishly sly tone, "I'm going to be feeling even better when you're mine..."

I blinked. "Wha-?" With one wave of his wand, my darling "Kyle" revealed his true identity: SIGMUND.

"We meet again, mein liebe." I gasped and tried to run away, but even for his frail structure Sigmund was agile enough to grab me in time. I hit him, but he held it back and kissed me instead. I tried to slap him, but my opposition was only met with his unending affection. He kissed my neck, my face, up my arms, and I tried all I could to push him away, but I was no match for his strong grip. The position he was holding me in made it difficult for me to attempt to kick, too.

"I don't love you!" I snapped.

Sigmund kissed my lips (I thought I would throw up) and replied lovingly, "You will soon, even if I must make you." Then he kept an even longer hold on my lips. It was scary and disgusting and unfamiliar, as it always is when you're in a place you don't want to be. I felt like crying; all I wanted was Kyle and not this arrogant, lovesick demon who wouldn't take "no" as an answer. He just answered my blows with kisses, and I had no way to run or get rid of him.

"HELP!" I screamed as soon as he stopped kissing me long enough to break a breath. Miraculously, Kyle burst through the doors, followed by Fanboy and Chum Chum.

"Sigmund! Get your licentious hands off of her!" he yelled. Surprised, Sigmund stood me back up and faced Kyle.

"It isn't what it looks like," Sigmund lied innocently. "SHE kissed me first."

"WHAT?" I cried. "Sigmund you liar! You better tell the truth or I'll give you a fat lip!" Sigmund gulped.

"Alright, alright. I made myself look like you so I could have Jessica to myself," he confessed. But Kyle was still ULTRA mad at Sigmund. He took a running jump and lunged at him, sending them both to the ground. The two wizards tasseled on the ground for several minutes. Hair flew out as they hit and kicked and such,and they were wearing themselves out with every blow. Sigmund struggled to get to his feet, and an evil grin crossed his face. I saw getting ready to kick Kyle, who was still on the ground exhausted, in the side, and I knew I had to help.

I ran over and gladly kicked Sigmund right in a low but VERY sensitive area. He fell to the ground on his knees, clutching the sore area. Tears of pain welled in his eyes, and he wheezed in a now high pitched voice, "You got me right in the schnitzel...you win..." Sigmund rolled to the ground in a painful ball, almost like a fetal position, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I smirked at the spot where he had laid, then helped Kyle up.

"Kyle, that was very brave of you," I admired.

"You're worth every bruise," Kyle smiled. Fanboy, Chum Chum, and I sat him down at a picnic table.

"That was so awesome what you did, Kyle!" Fanboy said. "I didn't know you could fight like that!"

Chum Chum giggled. "And I didn't know Sigmund's voice could go that high, Jessica." We all laughed over that, until Kyle had to stop because his side hurt too much.

Kyle looked at me with sad eyes. "Jessica, I'm so sorry for what happened. If I hadn't been such a baby and stayed with you, none of this would've happened."

I took Kyle by the chin. "Kyle, I don't blame you for what happened. It was a sheer accident."

"Maybe so, but I regret not being the first to kiss those delicate lips," he sighed.

Fanboy and Chum Chum pushed us together. Fanboy said slyly, "It never hurt to be Number Two!" He winked.

Chum Chum added, "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Come on, Fanboy." They walked back inside the gym. Kyle laughed nervously.

"So...should we?" he asked hopefully.

"Do you want to?"

He took my face into his hands and whispered, "With all my soul and mind." I wrapped my arms around him.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I grinned. Our lips finally met. Kissing Kyle was SO much different from when Sigmund did it. Kyle's kiss was relaxing and passionate; Sigmund's was forceful and intimidating. It lifted my spirits, and it was several minutes before we let go.

"We should probably get back to the dance," Kyle said, pointing towards the door.

"Yeah...we should," I answered. Holding hand in hand, we went back towards the gym, smiles on both of our faces. Even with Sigmund around, Kyle had given me the happiest moment of my life.


	6. Snow Day

Sorry that it's been so long since I last updated, but I've been busy.

...

Soon the subtle briskness of autumn passed away with the more obvious chill of winter. I woke up one Monday morning, only to find the sidewalks outside covered in snow. Apparently Jack Frost visited in the middle of the night. I put on a blue sweater, black pants, and high tops before heading downstairs for breakfast. Mom and Dad were still in their pajamas.

"Ummm...why are guys not dressed?" I asked. They looked at me and smiled.

"You're out of school today," Dad answered. I turned on the TV to the local news, and sure enough there was a news reporter outside the school.

"There's at least five inches of snow on the ground," he reported, "and more is expected to accumulate for the rest of the week. All the schools will be closed until further notice." That's all I needed to know.

I did a small celebration dance without stepping on my dog's paw before joining my parents for breakfast. While we ate our pancakes, my mom remarked, "This will be our first Christmas away from home."

Dad nodded. "It'll be strange, so we better get on our Christmas cards early so they'll make it home." After I rinsed the breakfast dishes out, the phone rang; Mom answered it.

"Oh yes, she's here," she said after a brief pause. "Wait one moment." She placed her hand over the receiver and whispered, "Jessica, there's a boy on the phone wanting to talk to you!"

"A boy?" Dad inquired. "She never mentioned anything about a boy."

I responded quickly, "They're my friends from school, remember?" That seemed to satisfy them, and I took the phone from Mom's hands. "Hello?"

"Hi Jessica!" It sounded like Fanboy. "Did you see the news? We're out of school!"

"I sure did! What are you and Chum Chum going to do?"

"We were wondering if you'd like to meet us at the park," he returned.

"Sounds like fun," I said. "See you there." We hung up, then I went upstairs to my room. I put on my white vest with the fur-trimmed hood (faux fur, of course), black boots, and black fingerless gloves, along with a blue scarf. I told my parents where I was going before heading out the door.

I deeply inhaled the chilly Ohio air. It received a lot more snow than I got at home. Back home, it rarely snowed enough for school to close, so this was special for me. Snowflakes fell onto my head, but I didn't dare put out my tongue. When I was eight my cousin told me to never catch snowflakes until every bird has gone South for the winter, or else you'll end up eating their poo instead. I know that's gross, but it's kept me safe every winter remembering that tip.

At the park the grass was covered in a carpet of snow, shrouding the once green leaves and shrubs. The benches were also covered, and probably would be a lot more effective than "Wet Paint" signs since I hardly ever see people actually take them seriously. Most importantly, however, it was **quiet. **Not just regular quiet, but quiet like someone just died. Strange comparison? Maybe. The truth? Definitely. The eerie silence gave me a bad feeling inside.

_Maybe Fanboy and Chum Chum are just late, _I thought. But the sound of snow crunching behind me interrupted my thought. I turned around, but there was nothing but the snow and one naked, snow-covered tree. I turned my back to it again. Big mistake. Half a minute later two high-pitched war cries filled the air, and I got bombarded by icy projectiles. Grinning, I looked back at my colorful assailants laughing. I joined them in laughter as well.

"Hi Fanboy," I giggled, collecting some snow. "Hi Chum Chum." I compacted it into two perfectly round spheres and aimed it at their heads simultaneously. They let it hit them in the faces.

"Hi Jessica!" they greeted at the same time. They were wearing parkas that was the same color as their superhero costumes and tall, furry hats. They shook off the snow from their good-natured faces before making more snowballs.

"You'll never take me alive!" I declared, and took off running.

"After her!" Chum Chum cried.

"We can't let her escape!" Fanboy shouted. Their arms full of snowballs, they took off running after me, flinging them at my back. We were all laughing like maniacs as I threw my own snowballs back. The game continued until we all got tired and sat down on the rim of the fountain, which was now frozen. We panted in between our laughter until they diluted into sighs.

"That was fun!" sighed Chum Chum. He laid back tiredly and closed his eyes.

Fanboy playfully rubbed some snow into his friend's face. "You can say that again!"

"That was the most fun I've had on a snow day," I said. "I'm glad I have you two as friends."

"What did you used to do on snow days?" asked Chum Chum.

"Well, there was never a lot of kids my age in my neighborhood back home," I explained, "and since I'm an only child, I mainly either played by myself or with my parents. Once I tried making snow angels, but it didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to me. But we've had plenty of snowball fights." I hugged them both. "You know, you guys are really special for making friends with me on the first dayI came."

They hugged back. "Aww, it's no problem," Fanboy replied. "We wanted you to feel welcome to Galaxy Hills. But if you didn't have us as friends would you have made any here?"

I let go. "Oh probably," I said, "but none of the other kids are as good as you two...except maybe Kyle." Fanboy and Chum Chum looked at each other and grinned.

"Are you guys gonna get married one day?" Chum Chum asked. The question hit me in the gut like a wrecking ball.

"Good Lord, Chum Chum!" I exclaimed. "Kyle and I haven't even gone out on a date yet!" Fanboy nudged me.

"But you _have _kissed him, haven't you?" he said slyly.

"At the Autumnal Dance, yes," I admitted. "But we haven't gone out on a _real _date yet."

"Would you like to go on a date with him?" Chum Chum queried, rolling a ball of snow on the ground.

"Of course I do," I said, "but right now we haven't really discussed it much." Fanboy was lying on the ground on his stomach drawing something with his finger.

"Ahh," he sighed dreamily. "Love is in the air early!" I leaned over at what he was making, and saw a heart with an arrow through it. Fanboy wrote **J+K **in the center. "You know, you and Kyle make quite an attractive couple."

"Indeed we do," a voice behind us said. It was Kyle. He was wearing a forest green jacket over a red and yellow striped sweater and a red toboggan on his head. That adorable smile of his warmed me up. "Hello, love."

"Hi Kyle," I greeted. Even though we weren't alone, we both started kissing on the lips. Fanboy and Chum Chum were gaping at us incredulously. It was as if they'd never seen two people kiss in front of them before. We glanced at them and stopped long enough to laugh. "You two look like you've seen a ghost!"

Fanboy said quickly, "Oh, don't let us get in the way! You two go ahead." Our lips made contact again, but we hadn't been doing it for five seconds when there was a bright flash. We looked at Chum Chum, who was holding a camera in his hand.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. He put it under his hat for protection while Kyle and I finished.

"The first kiss of the season," I joked. Kyle chuckled.

"There shall be more to come. I guarantee it. Especially around Christmas." A snowflake landed on the tip of his nose, and while I picked it off, I noticed Kyle gazing at me. "Jessica, you look even more magnificent in a landscape of pure white. The blue of your eyes just pop out." I play hit in the arm.

"Oh, stop it," I giggled. Suddenly a huge shadow loomed over us. Fanboy and Chum Chum were speechless with fear, and before Kyle and I could turn around we heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well. Look at the little love birds. They're gonna be BOPPED birds when I'm through with 'em, though!"

Boog had returned for his revenge.

...


	7. Chicken Pox

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I've had so many other things on my mind, like deviantArt, holidays, and working on other fanfics in addition to my school work.

Jessica is the only character I own. The others are property of Eric Robles.

...

Boog was towering over us with a sinister grin, cracking his oversized knuckles. He had on a black leather jacket and camouflage snow boots, and the insidious look in his eyes screamed vengeance in the ultimate degree. In spite of our fear, Kyle and I didn't let go; our hands were still holding, no matter how scared we were. Fanboy gulped. The bully stared at me coldly.

"So ya think you can just make me look like a fool in front of the whole town, huh four eyes?" he growled. "Well think again! I'm gonna bop you so hard-"

"STOP!" Kyle shouted. He stood in front of me and pulled out his magic wand. "I shan't let you touch a hair on her or my friends! I'm not afraid to use this!" In one quick movement, Boog snatched the wand out of Kyle's hands and snapped it in two like a toothpick. "Oh sheep shanks..." Before we could do anything Boog snatched Kyle by his collar and let out an obnoxious laugh.

"Your dinky little stick is no match for my awesome strength," he boasted. My blood felt like it was on fire as I tried to charge towards him, but Fanboy and Chum Chum held me back.

"Don't do it, Jessica!" Chum Chum pleaded. "You'll be bopped!"

"Guys, I'll be fine," I insisted, but they did nothing to lessen their grip, which made me angry. Luckily I'm taller than both of them, so I was able to eventually break free from them, but by the time I could Boog gave Kyle a black eye! "Put him down, you monster!" I shrieked. Boog smirked devilishly.

"Oh sure. I'll put 'em down alright..." Boog carelessly tossed Kyle across the park into the cold snow. It was terrifying for me to watch my boyfriend sail through the air and land in a mound of snow, and for a moment I feared the worst. Above all, I wanted to make sure Kyle was okay, so I ran over to him, Fanboy and Chum Chum at my heels.

"Kyle? Baby, are you okay?" I asked. Thankfully, he was unharmed. The snow had broken his fall, but he was a bit dazed.

"Perfectly fine, love," he replied dizzily. He sank back into the snow with his arms flung out, and I turned to face Boog. I must've looked kind of intimidating because momentarily lost his confident grin.

"You...you IDIOT!" I yelled. "What's the matter with you! You can't do this all your life! If he hadn't landed in the snow you could've KILLED him!" Boog crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"And that would be a bad thing?" he scoffed. That did it. All my fury that had gradually bottled up inside was unleashed and I screamed, changing into a run. I saw his eyes widen as I bolted towards him. "Oh crap..." The next thing I remember I was taking a jump towards him, and a second later he was pinned to the ground by me. In one solid minute I used every ounce of anger to teach him a lesson. I slapped him; I punched him square in the nose; I did that one wrestling move where you sit on them and pull up their leg (luckily my dad was watching wrestling the other night). Before I could kick him in the same place I did Sigmund, he was on the verge of surrender. "No, wait! Not there! Anywhere but there!" he whined. I lowered my leg.

"Do you promise not to harm me, Fanboy and Chum, Kyle, or anyone else in this town?" I inquired. He nodded wildly. "Cross your heart. I SAID CROSS IT!" Boog hurriedly crossed his heart and promised. "Remember: if you should break your promise, this WILL happen again, only ten times worse. I'm no wimpy damsel in distress, mister. Now get out of here." Boog scrambled to his feet and ran out of the park. Fanboy, Chum Chum, and Kyle were now sitting on the rim of the frozen fountain, laughing. As a joke, I bowed. "You're too kind," I giggled.

"Good thing I brought my camera," Chum Chum smiled. "Look at all these great shots I took!" He held up all the evidence of me giving Boog what for with pride.

"You were AWESOME!" Fanboy cried. "How did you learn to do all that?" I shrugged.

"I really don't know," I replied modestly. I sat next to Kyle and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry Kyle." He hugged back.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he said softly. "It's not your fault." I noticed Fanboy and Chum Chum looking guilty.

"We're sorry we held you back," they said in unison, looking down at the snow.

"It's okay, guys," I told them.

"No it's not," Fanboy frowned. "Kyle wouldn't have this black eye if we had held you back." I was expecting Kyle to get miffed at them, but to my surprise he was very good-natured about the whole thing.

"You probably couldn't have prevented it anyway," Kyle shrugged, then he sneezed. "Oh dear. Lying in that frigid snow is making me feel a bit ill." I scrutinized him, and sure enough his skin was an unusual shade and his eyelids looked purple.

"Aww, you poor thing!" I cooed, stroking his hair. "Let's get you home." We helped Kyle up and walked with him to his house where we laid him on the couch. I set a stool next to him for me to sit. "How else do you feel, Kyle?"

"I'm suffering," he moaned. "My nose is runny, I have an upset tummy, chills and shakes, pains and aches, swollen glands, clammy hands...and excessive rhyming." Suddenly the Necronomicon, Kyle's book of spells and charms, popped out of the shelf.

"Great Damocles!" it exclaimed. "That sounds like the symptoms for..." When its voice trailed off dramatically, Kyle knew exactly what the Book of the Dead meant.

"Oh no. Don't tell me. Chicken pox?" he said bitterly. Fanboy and Chum Chum gasped, and the Necronomicon nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so. Luckily for you it can't be spread to the others. They're not wizards, correct?" Kyle shoved the book back into the shelf with frustration.

"No they're not," he sighed, before sitting back on the couch. "This can't be happening..." I sat next to him and put my arm around his shoulder. Fanboy and Chum did the same.

"I'm sorry, Kyle," I told him.

"It's worse than you think," Kyle replied. "This is just the first stage. It's the second stage that's the worst part."

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" Fanboy said. "Isn't that when you-" But a glare from Kyle silenced him. "Ooh right. My bad."

"Don't worry, Fanboy," Chum Chum smiled. "I'm sure Kyle will get through it _egg_celently." They began to snicker at the joke, and apparently they knew something I didn't. Kyle growled slightly.

"HA! Yeah he will," Fanboy laughed. "Now it's time for our _egg_xit."

"GET OUT!" Kyle snapped. Fanboy and Chum Chum ran out the door, laughing like lunatics. I kissed Kyle's cheek to calm him down, which he did. When he talked to me his voice was softer. "I'm sorry you had to see that, my love, but it's part of the second stage of a wizard's chicken pox."

"What did they mean by eggs?" I asked. Kyle looked at his feet uneasily, as if he was afraid to say.

"Well...it's a little embarrassing. You'll have to see for yourself." He took my hands into his and looked me in the eye. "Jessica, you're the only one I completely trust with this illness, and the only one that can truly make me feel better until...until I cure myself." He faltered a bit in his sentence, as if to carefully omit the cure. We almost kissed for the second time that day if it wasn't for a knock at the door.

"I'll get it for you, Kyle," I offered. It was a decision I ended up regretting because as soon as I opened the door I was dipped and a pair of painfully familiar lips greeted mine. It was Sigmund. By the time he finished his kiss and got me to my feet again, I was fuming mad. "Why you-!"

"Handsome stud?" he smirked haughtily. "I thought I was, too. Thank you, my dear." He chuckled at his remark as I rolled my eyes.

"Unless you have something worth hearing, I'm tossing you onto the sidewalk," I warned. "Make it fast." Sigmund regained a sophisticated disposition and conjured up something up with a wave of his hand. It was a small, violet velvet box that was the perfect size for a ring.

"Take this as a reminder you can come to Sigmund if the Constipator doesn't turn out to be the one you desire," the German whispered softly. "If you ever need help, wear it."

I laughed right in his face. "You've got to be kidding! I'll have a better chance of getting Manarctica's help than yours!" Nevertheless, he pressed the box into my hand, and let me tell you this: the stubbornness of this guy was really getting on my nerves. Suddenly I had an idea. "Sigmund, wait here." I returned to Kyle, who was witnessing what was going on. "Kyle, why don't you go over and shake Sigmund's hand?" Kyle looked at me like I had grown another head.

"Are you mad?" he said. "Shake hands with that no-good..." Suddenly he stopped, and a grin spread over his face. "Ohhh I get it. Very well." He strolled casually over to the sorcerer and after some small talk they shook hands. "I thought I had won?"

"Actually," the sorcerer corrected, "_she_ was the winner. Not you. There's no way you could..." Sigmund stopped for a minute and frowned. "Is there something wrong with you, Kyle?"

Kyle sniffled, "Oh, not much. Just a case of the...CHICKEN POX." His rival froze in shock for a moment before jerking away his hand. Sigmund held it like it had been burned.

"Aaaaaahhh!" he screamed. "You've contaminated me! Now I'll get it! You know how easily this stuff spreads to other wizards!" Sure enough, in no time the sorcerer's complexion changed to Kyle's and he sneezed. "Oh no. You've ruined me!" Kyle and I couldn't stop laughing at him. The "great" Sigmund had fallen for our trick, and had paid the price for it. He lurched feebly towards the door, coughing, leaving us laughing behind him.

"Jessica, I always deduced you were a mastermind, darling," Kyle remarked. We hugged for a solid minute, but when we let go I noticed something strange. Kyle's finger had turned so unusually soft and...feathery.

"Ummm Kyle?" I pointed towards his fingers, which were all beginning to turn the same way. He gasped in horror as feathers sprouted up his arms.

"Oh no..." Kyle wailed. His perfectly kissable mouth slowly turned into a beak before my eyes. "It's-BAWKAWK!-happening!"


	8. A Magical and Merry Christmas

Thank you for all the positive feedback on my previous chapters. This is the final chapter of this story, but there will definitely be more stories about Jessica and her friends in the future, so fear not. :)

Sorry if the Hanukkah date in this is inaccurate because of the year, but I wanted to put another holiday in with the story.

Jessica is the only character I own. The others are property of Eric Robles.

...

It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that I had officially seen everything now. My boyfriend had just became a chicken, beak and all. I was perplexed. How in the world did my sweet wizard end up as...one of my favorite foods? "Oh wow, Kyle...I..." To tell the truth, I didn't know what to say. Kyle clucked sadly.

"Oh, this is too embarrassing. I wish you didn't have to see me this way, Jessica." He covered his face with his wings, but I pulled them down. I didn't want to hurt his feelings in his condition. "Please, don't look at me..." I surprised him by kissing the top of his beak and giggling at his reaction.

"Why not? You're every bit as appealing to me as a chicken as you were when you were human," I replied, gazing into his eyes passionately. I stroked his feathery back, which made him purr. "Are you a cat or a chicken?" We both laughed before sitting back on the couch. Well, at least _I_ was on the couch. Kyle nested in my lap and pressed his head against me. "So Kyle, what do you want for Christmas?"

"A new wand, perhaps," he admitted dryly. "But seriously, you're all I really need." He sighed sadly. "I just hope I'll be able to lay the egg before Christmas." All of a sudden he covered his beak with his wings, as if he just revealed a secret. "Oh Lord, why can't I keep my beak shut today?" I must've looked puzzled, because he said, "Okay, I'll admit it. The cure is that...I have to lay an egg." Kyle winced, as though bracing himself for how I might react to that. He opened one eye cautiously. "Well?"

I was confused. "Well what?" Then it hit me. I remembered how Fanboy and Chum Chum had teased him before he told them to get out of the house. "Oh Kyle, are you afraid I'm going to make fun of you?" He nodded, looking down at my lap. I pushed his head up. "You know I'd never do that, even in these circumstances. I love you, and I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose. You should know that." Kyle smiled.

"I love you, too, Jessica. I'm glad I have someone who will understand me in this crazy world." He hopped off my lap and gathered some stray feathers, placing them on the table in front of him in a circular arrangement. "Well, I better get started." He sat in the middle of them to prepare to roost. I offered my vest for insulation, but Kyle politely refused. "I don't want to be a bother...although, would you please brew me a spot of tea?"

"Sure," I grinned. I headed back towards the kitchen, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I didn't know how wizards got their wands back, but the snow surely would've buried the halves Boog made earlier at the park. Furthermore, if he was sick there's no way he would go out and get the job done. "I wish there was something I could do..." You might not believe this, but I almost used Sigmund's necklace to consult his help. I was desperate, but then I remembered he also had the chicken pox, so he wouldn't go out in public, either, if that's what wizards had to do. I was startled by a voice behind me.

"Jess? Somethin' bothering you?" It was Scrivener Elf, who served as Kyle's scribe. I had no idea what he was doing there, because usually he only showed up when Kyle summoned him, but apparently he came on his own will. We had become acquainted with each other since I visited Kyle so often. He was in a laid back position while floating in mid-air. "You look worried."

"Oh, hey Scrivvy," I sighed. "Yeah, I'm worried about Kyle." I put the tea bag in the water and sat down at the table. He floated down and sat on the edge, listening carefully to what I was saying. "He just got the chicken pox, and his wand broke."

"Ugh, the chicken pox," the elf shuddered. "That's bad stuff. Wizards are lucky if they can lay an egg in a few hours. Most of the time it takes weeks!" That wasn't the news I wanted to hear. I must've looked disappointed, because he apologized. "Whoops. I'm not helping, am I?" I shook my head. "Sorry. Anywho, he won't be going out for quite a while, but the wand I might be able to help with." I perked up and looked at him intently. "You see, wizards who have been in Milkweed for at least a semester will receive a wand, even if they're expelled like Kyle was. The Wizard Co. can easily replace wands, however. If Kyle went, he'd spread his chicken pox to the entire place."

"You can buy a wand?" I asked. Naturally, though, it wasn't that easy. Between his words I gave Kyle a tea before sitting back down with him. "Okay, I'm still listening. Continue." He began to peel a banana.

"Well, you don't really buy the wand itself, but you buy ingredients for a special potion that will be involved in the creation of the wand, along with a specific spell. However, you need to have a knowledge of magic to even get in the store, and for the spell you need to be able to interpret a Necronomicon. There are two ways for a non-Milkweed student like yourself to gain magical powers."

"Two?" I repeated. "Sweet! What are they?" Scrivener Elf didn't reply right away. He stuck the banana in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. I waited for him to swallow before he answered, but he didn't do it even then. He seemed embarrassed to tell me. "Well? Can't you tell me!"

"Well, one way you'll have to be a lot older in order to do it," he said. "Trust me, you don't want to know. The second option is much easier. You'll just have to learn from Kyle's own magic."

"Thanks Scrivvy, but I want this to be a surprise for Kyle. I'm hoping this chicken pox will last just a bit longer so that I can give him the wand for Christmas. That way it will be special, you know?" He nodded understandingly. "Besides..." I brought my voice down to a whisper. "Kyle has been teaching me some magic on the side." Scrivener Elf's mouth opened in surprise.

"What! He has? Show me." To satisfy his curiosity, I conjured up a simple object: a flower. He looked impressed. "Gee, I never knew a girl could learn magic." Those words offended me a little, and when I gave him a questioning glare, he answered quickly, "It's just that Milkweed was an all-boy school, and well...Kyle's never had a girl in his house like this before. It's nothing personal. Anyways, I'm glad you're on top of things. Now let's get going."

"Wait, what about Kyle?" I asked. "Who will take care of him?" After reassuring me Kyle will be okay and will need time to lay his egg, I bid Kyle goodbye and walked out. Scrivener Elf secretly materialized outside next to me. Since he knew how to get there, I needed him by my side. He whisked us away to the outside of what looked your average supermarket. Because I was a newcomer, I had to pass an examination in order to confirm I had a knowledge of wizardry. Naturally I passed, and we gained entry inside. Even inside it looked like a normal grocery store. The contents, on the other hand, were anything but normal. Eye of newt, toad bile, dragon scales, and all kinds of bizarre and disgusting things I won't go on about are just a few things stocked on their shelves. Luckily, Scrivvy drew up a list and we scoured the store for them. When we were done, I realized an important detail I had overlooked. "Oh man, I forgot to bring money!"

"Don't worry," he assured me. "I'll take care of it. Keep in mind I don't do this everyday, but 'cause I like you I'll make an exception." He handed some currency to the cashier and in no time we had everything we needed for the potion. Before we left, I had to ask Scrivvy some questions.

"If I have a so-called 'knowledge of magic' now, if I get close to Kyle, will I get the chicken pox from him?" I had to ask. Imagine how ironic it would be to go through all this trouble and end up sick right next to him. Scrivener Elf shook his head.

"Good, question, though," he said. "You see, you're technically not a real sorceress until you've received a wand of your own from a school of magic, such as Milkweed. Students who stay in Milkweed longer, like that Sigmund guy that made Kyle feel like garbage, learn how to use their magic without the use of a wand. Kyle was expelled before then, so he never learned how. You'll be perfectly safe around him. He's lucky to have a friend like you." I blushed shyly as we walked out, but instead of Kyle's house he took me to the park. "It may be covered in snow, but the final ingredient we need is a small stick off one of those trees. They're the only ones I can see that aren't covered in snow on the ground."

"Here, I'll do it," I volunteered. I handed him the bag of ingredients and turned to face the tree in front of me. It was a considerable size, about ten feet tall. Fortunately, it had large roots at the bottom for me to stand on. I climbed on them and stretched my arms above my head to see far away I was from grabbing the branch. To tell the truth, I had never successfully climbed a tree before in my LIFE. Why was I crazy enough to attempt this? Scrivener Elf was a huge help with this, and deep down I felt like he was doing all the work for me. I wanted to do this personally for Kyle, so this was my one opportunity to do it for him myself. So there I was, estimating about three feet between me and the branch. I jumped, but it was out of my reach by just an inch. I scooted higher on the root and tried again, and this time I grabbed it in time. For a brief moment, I was hanging by one arm in the cold December air. I felt my sweater rise up a little, showing part of my stomach. I shivered a little, but it didn't deter me from my goal.

"I can do it for you, if you want Jessica," Scrivener Elf called. I ignored him. This was going to be all me. I saw a thin twig sticking out at the very end. Slowly, I inched my way towards it, trying not to look down. It just so happened I was scared of heights, too. I felt Scrivvy's worried gaze as he watched me. When I reached the end, I plucked off the twig with ease. Now the only thing left was figuring out how to get down safely. I figured since the snow broke Kyle's fall earlier, it could surely break mine. I let go, and sure enough I landed in the soft snow, next to Scrivener Elf. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're not hurt. What if you broke your leg? I couldn't stand to see you get hurt, and Kyle would murder me for letting something bad happen to you."

"Relax, Scrivvy," I smiled. I sat up in the snow and looked at him. "It would be my fault, because I chose to risk getting hurt. I feel like a burden because with all the work you've been doing to help me, I feel like I haven't done anything myself. I want to do this personally for Kyle, and I thought I could at least get this twig, which I assume will eventually become the wand." Scrivvy put his hand on my shoulder.

"You've got a kind heart, Jess," he told me. "You're not a burden at all. I know we haven't hung around much, but I see you as a friend to me. Doing all this is a pleasure." I surprised him by hugging him suddenly, which he returned back. The friendly warmth between us couldn't be stopped by any icy chill, and I couldn't think of any other non-verbal way to express my gratitude.

"Thank you so much," I said softly. "You've done so much, and I couldn't be more grateful." When the hug ended, we decided to go to my house to prepare the potion, but then I remembered I'd need the Necronomicon to do it. "What if he becomes suspicious of what we're doing? Also, what if he gets better before I can give him the wand? This is supposed to be his Christmas gift after all." Scrivener Elf pondered this for a moment.

"If he's been teaching you magic on the side," he began, "then he shouldn't mind lending you his book. If you ask me, he won't be needing it while he's trying to lay his egg. To be on the safe side, I'd get him something extra in case he gets better before Christmas." It sounded like a plan to me. We backtracked to Kyle's first. Scrivvy stayed outside to not arouse suspicion while I went inside Kyle's house. He was still sitting on his feathers, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Umm, Kyle?" He didn't hear me at first, but then again I spoke not much louder than a whisper. Despite Scrivvy's advice, I was still a little nervous about asking to borrow his Necronomicon. If he was in the same mood he was in with Fanboy and Chum Chum earlier, now wouldn't be a good time to ask. _It never hurt to ask, though, _I thought. I walked a little closer towards him. "Kyle?" He heard me that time and looked up.

"Oh Jessica, I wasn't expecting you to come back so quickly," he remarked. "You left in such a hurry last time there was something I forgot to tell you." He gestured for me to come over, and when I did he wrapped his wings around me. "Thank you so much for caring for me and being there for me. I wish I could kiss you, but I don't have any lips." I hugged him back and kissed him on top of his beak again to make up for it.

"It's no problem, Kyle," I replied. "Umm, I was wondering, if it's okay with you, if I could borrow your Necronomicon. It won't be for long, of course." To my relief, he did let me borrow it, and mentioned exactly what Scrivener Elf said about not needing it while he's laying his egg. I thanked him and gave him another kiss for it. I pulled the book off the shelf, rethanked Kyle, and bid him goodbye. Scrivener Elf and I began the walk to my house to prepare it in secrecy. All the way the Necronomicon talked.

"Good gracious, it's freezing!" it complained. "Where are you taking me?" To keep it warm I placed it inside my winter vest and zipped it up. It tried to talk again, but the coat muffled its voice. Eventually it gave up. For a book of the dead, it sure was talkative. At my house, we walked into the kitchen and began to set everything out. I pulled the Necronomicon out and laid it on the counter. It observed the ingredients we had and began to realize what was taking place. "Ooh, you're going to cast a wand creation spell I see." It flipped open to the correct page with the spell to use.

"Right," I said confidently. "Let's do this!" The wand potion consisted of a hydra claw, a drop of toad bile, a beetle wing, a cup of pixie dust, three dragon scales, a raven feather, and finally a cup of water. I don't know how it happens, but when they were all stirred together, there was a bright flash of light. When it was safe to look I discovered it had transformed into a sparkling, fuschia liquid before our very eyes! For a moment I just stared in amazement at the feat we had accomplished. Scrivener Elf handed me the twig I collected.

"Now that the magical properties of the ingredients have combined to make the potion," he explained, "you have to soak this stick in the potion." Carefully I laid it in the colorful potion. The stick sunk for a moment and then floated back to the top. I lit a few candles to give me reading light so I could read the Necronomicon. It floated in front of my face and I studied the runes. Before I met Kyle, none of the symbols would've made any sense to me whatsoever, but now they were like a second language to me. The excitement of being able to understand the symbols of sorcery and necromancy was flowing through my veins, and for a moment I thought it was the magic itself, like a fire in my blood. I calmed myself down and began to utter the spell with ease. Their mystical meanings aroused wonder in me. Even though I wasn't an official one, I felt like a real life sorceress.

After each word the stick began to levitate by itself, giving off an eerie pink glow. It trembled furiously as if it was about to explode, and when the last word was spoken of the spell, there was another flash of light, only bigger. For a moment the entire room was lit only in a monotonous, pink glow, but when it died down, I couldn't have been happier to see the finished product: a replica of Kyle's wand. Everything had gone according to plan. "I did it!" I almost screamed. "I conjured my first spell!" In my state of triumph, I became a bit cocky (which is unusual for me) and for the heck of it scraped some of the potion out with my finger and ate it. It was seriously the most disgusting thing since Sigmund kissing me at the dance that I've ever experienced, but did I care? Not an ounce. Scrivener Elf and Necronomicon were looking at me in shock. "What? Am I going to turn into a toad or something?"

Scrivener Elf shook his head. "No...but it'll definitely make you throw up." Well, my senses chose that moment to come back from lunch, and now I realized in an out of character stupor I made one of the stupidest mistakes in my entire life. Not much sooner had he said that did the potion start to take its toll on me. My whole body felt achey, my face paled, and everything on my inside felt like it wanted to be on my outside. Shaking, my legs ran me to the bathroom where I spent a solid five minutes hurling everything I just consumed into the toilet. It wasn't pleasant, but I was elated that I finally got the present I wanted for Kyle. If only Christmas would come sooner...

...

On Christmas Eve our Christmas cards from friends and family came in. I had been writing to Christy and Bella on the side, and I told them about Kyle, Fanboy and Chum Chum, me totally owning Boog, and even what Sigmund did to me at the dance. Both of them were happy for me and Kyle, and in return I sent them both a picture of me with Kyle, Fanboy, and Chum Chum. I was glad we got it taken before Kyle came down with his chicken pox.

I got permission from my parents to spend part of Christmas Eve with Kyle. Since I didn't believe in Santa anymore, there wasn't really any reason to come home much earlier except for dinner and opening presents together. I wore a red sweater designed like a Santa Claus jacket, dark jeans, and my leather winter boots along with my winter vest and fingerless gloves. On the dresser I still had the necklace Sigmund gave me, and I couldn't believe I hadn't thrown it in the trash by now. I think the main reason was because it was beautiful and looked like it cost a lot of money, unless it was something he conjured on the spot. On the other hand, who knows what could happen to me by wearing it. At that time, my mom knocked on the door.

"You look so beautiful," she sighed, looking at my outfit. "I'm sure you and Kyle are so cute together, and you haven't even brought him home yet." My face reddened in embarrassment, but before I could say anything she gasped. "Oh my, did Kyle give you that necklace?" I didn't tell my parents about Sigmund, so I simply nodded. "I'm sure he would appreciate it if you wore it." There didn't seem to be any easy way out of this without bringing Sigmund up, so I just went along with it and wore it. Nothing happened when I put it on, and Mom gave me a hug. "Merry Christmas, honey."

"Merry Christmas, mom." I hugged her back. I was used to giving them, it seemed. I had a lot of great friends, despite none of them being girls, and I think they deserved recognition for making my stay here in Galaxy Hills so much better. Dad was starting to prepare dinner, so I hugged him on the way out. Christmas lights were hung down all the streetlights and some residents were hurrying home with last minute gifts. The only building that wasn't covered in lights was Oz Comix, the comic store owned by Fanboy and Chum Chum's friend, Oz. He was waaay older than us and still lived with his mom, but Oz was a terrific guy to hang out with. I decided to stop by for a moment. The first person I saw was Mrs. Harmounian, Oz's mother, setting out a plate of what looked like pancakes. She did not see me right away. "Um, hello Mrs. Harmounian." She looked up.

"Oh hello, dearie," she greeted sweetly. Her accent sounded slightly German or Yiddish. "If you're looking for Oswald, he's upstairs, but I made some latkes." I walked over to the plate and took a sniff. The latkes smelled like potatoes, and she set some sour cream on the side of the plate. On the table there was candelabra with three of its eight candles lit. "Do you like our menorah? It's been in our family for five generations."

"It _is _very well made," I admitted. For some reason I never realized the Harmounians were Jewish. It was a completely different holiday from what I was used to, and it intrigued me all the same. "Hanukkah looks like an interesting holiday." Coming out of my mouth, that sounded really cheesy, but Mrs. Harmounian smiled.

"Times haven't always been good for our people," she said. Her tone was a bit sad but hopeful at the same time. "Hanukkah is one of those times where we can reflect on our culture and appreciate who we are. Always be proud of who you are, honey, no matter what happens." Some kids at school always said Mrs. H was cranky, but it was that moment that I realized wisdom can come out of the most unlikeliest of places. Oz came down the steps with a small round cap on his head.

"See, Mother?" he gloated. "I told you my old yarmulke would still fit. Now you don't have to-" He stopped when he saw me and a wide grin came over his pudgy face. "All right, Jessica's here!" He trudged over and grasped me in a bear hug. "Girl, I haven't seen you here in forever! How have you been?"

I laughed. "Oz Harmounian, it's only been a couple of days! We've all been busy preparing for the holidays. But thanks for asking. I'm doing just fine. I hope I'm not bothering you and your mother. I just stopped in to say hi before I go over to Kyle's." A sly look came over Oz's face. Fanboy and Chum Chum had been telling him all about Kyle and me.

"I see," he said knowingly. "I see." He glanced to the side for a moment before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Pardon me for being too personal, but...will there be any, oh, I don't know...mistletoe action between you two?" I tried not to blush, but the question took me by surprise. I hoped there would be, but I wasn't sure about telling Oz that. Thankfully, Mrs. Harmounian came to my rescue my poking her son in the stomach hard with her cane.

"Now Oswald, don't get all nosy!" she scolded. "It's their decision to make. Don't try to rush things." She turned to me. "Sorry about that. Oswald can't help himself sometimes." Oz looked a bit offended and crossed his arms.

"Hey, I was just curious," he insisted. "Seriously, Mother. Besides, Jess is my friend and one of my favorite customers, alongside Fanboy and Chum Chum, of course." He went behind the counter and began to dig around for something. "You know,Jessica, I don't get a lot of girl customers here, and until you showed up I was kinda sexist about the whole thing. I thought girls didn't like this stuff and would end up like Mother when they grew up." His mom threw him a death glance for that comment, and he said quickly, "I didn't mean that as an insult, Mother. You know you want to throw out half of my stuff." That seemed to satisfy her, so he continued. "Anyways, you proved me wrong, and I totally respect you for that. In fact...I almost see you as a sister." The last time someone had said that to me was Christy and Bella before I left the South, but for it to come out of a guy like Oz's mouth, it meant so much more to me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"Oz, do you really mean that?" I asked. He nodded and went back to looking for whatever it was he was looking for. I felt a certain glow around me as the words echoed in my head. I wiped the tears off with my sweater sleeve just as Oz was coming back up. He had a small box in his hands.

"I know you and I celebrate two different holidays," Oz said, "but that doesn't mean we can't exchange a little giving, right?" The collector handed me the box. "You can go ahead and open it if you want." I opened the box, and inside was a four sided top with unusual markings on it. "This is called a dreidel. It's used to play a special Hanukkah game, and those symbols are letters of the Hebrew language. I'll teach you how to play it sometimes."

"Woah, Oz," I gasped. "This is amazing! I've heard about these things, but I've never really gotten to hold one." I put it back in the box. "Thanks so much. It means a lot to me. I just wish I had something to give you in return." With all my preparations for Christmas, I had totally forgotten about Oz. My heart sank with guilt.

"Aww, think nothing of it," he smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything. I'm just glad you remembered the old Oz Man. Thanks for stopping by." He looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, it's about time for us to close so we can light tonight's candle. Hey, weren't you going to Kyle's?"

"Oh my gosh!" I yelled. "I totally forgot about it! Thanks again, Oz and Mrs. H. I won't forget any of this. Bye! Happy Hanukkah!" We waved to each other before I stepped out into the cold air and onto the snow-covered sidewalk. It was getting a little darker out, so I quickened pace without breaking my neck on a patch of ice. The hospital was one of the last places I wanted to spend Christmas Eve. At least it wasn't a long walk to Kyle's. Finally I saw his house and knocked on the door. I was expecting Kyle, but instead I was astonished to see Fanboy and Chum Chum.

"JESSICA!" they cried. They almost knocked me over hugging me. It had been a while since we saw each other, and they acted like seeing me was the best thing in the world. When they let go, I noticed they weren't wearing their costumes. Instead, they wore sweaters and thermal pants (underwear on the outside, of course) that were colored similarly to their costumes. I guess even superheroes had to keep warm.

"Hey guys!" I grinned. "It's great to see you!" I wiped the snow off of my boots on the mat and came in. Kyle's place seemed a lot more cheerful with the Christmas decorations set up. Sadly, just as Scrivener Elf mentioned, Kyle was still in his chicken form, sitting on his feathers. Immediately I went over to him and kissed him on top of the beak. "Merry Christmas, my handsome chickadee."

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to come," he said. Those words stung me like a wasp, and I regretted being late. However, I think he realized what I was thinking. "Jessica, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it the way I said...I mean..." Kyle was so flustered his face began to turn the color of his hair like it did at the dance. It was SO cute when he did that. Soon my hurt melted as I stroked the back of his soft scarlet hair.

"It's okay, Kyle," I giggled. "I just stopped by Oz's on the way over here. Relax, it's Christmas. You don't want to boil your egg before it comes out, do you?" Suddenly something occurred to me. "How DID you agree to let Fanboy and Chum Chum in here? I thought you were mad at them?" It was true. Ever since he snapped at their egg jokes he refused to see them any. The two superheroes were looking sadly at the floor. Remorse was written all over their faces.

"Well they apologized," explained Kyle. "Besides, I couldn't keep them out in the cold during Christmas, could I?" He took a moment to look at my outfit, and he lifted a brow in interest. "You look absolutely smashing, my dear." He held my hand with his wing and leaned it to kiss it. Suddenly he stopped. "Oh bother! I keep forgetting I don't have lips. I want to kiss the love of my life, not peck her!" The four of us had a good laugh about it until the doorbell rang. Kyle was confused. "Now who in the world could that be?" Because he was too embarrassed by his chicken pox to answer the door, I did it for him. At the door was another chicken, but with thick eyebrows, silver hair, and a protruding pair of front teeth.

"C-c-c-could you p-please let m-me in?" he chattered. "These feathers aren't helping me at all!" He was hugging himself as the cold, snowy wind blew and ruffled his feathers. At first I was hesitant to let him in, but then I realized there was something oddly familiar about him. What was it? I thought over the details in my mind. _Thick eyebrows, silver hair, large front teeth, German accent..._

"Sigmund!" I exclaimed. "Is that you?" He nodded his head. I didn't know how Kyle was going to react to having his rival being in his house...but Sigmund looked so cold and helpless I didn't have the heart to keep him standing there. The snow was around his ankles now. I sighed. "You can warm up for a few minutes, but whether you can stay longer will be up to Kyle." Sigmund stepped inside where it was warm.

"Oh thank you," he shivered. "You're such a saint, Jessica. No wonder Kyle is so in love with you." I could've sworn the last part had a slight hint of bitterness at the end, but he was shaking so much it was hard to tell. The sorcerer examined what I was wearing, and when his mouth gaped open I thought his jaw would break...if chickens have jaws, that is. "_Mein liebe, _you look so ravishing! Not that that's any surprise to you. You're always so ravishing." I restrained the urge to roll my eyes and sat on the couch. In order to discourage Sigmund from doing so, I pulled Kyle over to roost on my lap. Fanboy and Chum Chum came out of the kitchen with some holiday goodies. Kyle knew I was eating Christmas dinner with my parents, so it wasn't exactly an elaborate spread. Mainly it consisted of cookies, fruit, and punch.

"Finally!" said Chum Chum. "I was starving!" He took a gingerbread cookie off of the top of the plate and bit the head off. I got a Granny Smith apple and a glass of punch. Kyle and Sigmund, on the other hand, stuck to eating seeds. I noticed whenever I stroked the back of Kyle's hair, Sigmund would jealously scowl for a moment. Even though I didn't say anything I thought this was hilarious.

"So Sigmund," Kyle began, "what were you doing out in the cold this late at night?" He crossed his wings, looking much like a mother interrogating her son coming home after his curfew. Sigmund was a bit taken aback by how suspicious he was of him for seemingly no reason at all.

"Kyle, it's Christmas Eve!" the German said in surprise. "I know you and I haven't always been on good terms...okay really we've NEVER been on good terms, but my point is I wanted to be with you all. It's one of the points of Christmas, being with friends and family, _ja_?" He sighed. "I want to do so without you being mad at me."

"Mmm hmm," Kyle responded, not buying it at all. "Let me ask you one thing: is Jessica one of your reasons for coming over here?" For the longest time Sigmund didn't say anything. Mainly he just stared down at the floor, blushing a tad. Kyle grew impatient. "Well? Out with it!" A sly grin came over Sigmund's face and finally he nodded. "I KNEW IT!" The wizard buried his face into his wings for a moment before regaining his composure. "Just so you know, if it wasn't Christmas I would be throwing you out the door on your pompous little tail feathers. Since it is, you can stay, but don't push it." It surprised me Kyle was managing this situation fairly well. After the snacks were consumed it was time to open presents. Scrivener Elf and the Necronomicon joined us for the occasion.

"Kyle, this has been such a great time," I said, "so why don't you open yours first?" He seemed rather touched by this, and three presents were set in front of him. A wide grin spread across his beak. You could tell which two were from Fanboy and Chum Chum;I don't know many people who choose Manarctica gift wrap. Kyle opened the first, which was from Fanboy, and it turned out to be what was _supposed _to be a scarf, but it had holes in it and one corner was missing.

"Sorry about that," Fanboy apologized. "It was my first time taking up knitting. As you can see, it didn't quite work out. I hope you like it, though." Kyle expressed his thanks and wrapped the scarf around his feathery neck. The next was from Chum Chum, which turned out to be a collection of poems by several notable British writers. Kyle was familiar with some of them, and he thanked Chum Chum for it. Somehow the idea of Fanboy or Chum Chum (or both) walking into a bookstore and buying an actual book, one without pictures I might add, amused me. My gift was next, and inside was a snowglobe of London, featuring Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Kyle appreciated it dearly, but what he didn't know was that the snowglobe wasn't the BIG gift I was giving him. I wanted to save the wand for last.

"Our turn!" yelled Chum Chum. He and Fanboy received their gifts from Kyle, each other, and me. Kyle got them the one action figure in their toy collection they didn't have yet: the Global Warmer, with bendable arms and a snap-on cape. They had a ball playing with them, and I thought they were going to wear out the sound chip it in by pressing the button on the back so many times, which made the toy talk. "This is way cool! Now our Manarctica figures have the ultimate enemy to fight!" Fanboy and Chum Chum thanked Kyle with big hugs and then started in on mine. Luckily Fanboy and Chum Chum are easy to shop for; I gave them both a copy of Manarctica's latest album, _Below Zero Beats. _The look on their faces when they opened it up made me feel good about myself, and they bombarded me with hugs just as they did with Kyle to let me know how much they loved it. They were so excited they didn't open the gifts they got for each other until after I left.

"You're next, my sweet," Kyle said as he moved up higher on my lap. I was worried Kyle would give me a gift more significant than my puny snowglobe. What if that made me look like a bad girlfriend before I gave him the wand? I didn't have time to think much more about it because Kyle put his wings over my eyes. "Don't peek just yet. It's a surprise." I kept my eyes closed and waited patiently until Kyle told me to look again. Standing in front of me was a small female elf, about Scrivener Elf's size. She looked similar to him as well, except with blonde hair and a much more cheerful disposition. "I conjured you up your own personal Scrivener Elfette. Say hello to Esmeralda."

"Holy Merlin!" I heard Scrivener Elf gasp. I wish someone could've taken a snapshot of the look on his face when he saw Esme. I thought his tongue was going to hit the ground any second. Esmeralda saw him as well and didn't hesitate to walk over to him. "This is a Merry Christmas to me, indeed!" I smiled at the two. Just like Kyle and me, they were going to be a good couple.

"It's wonderful, Kyle," I replied. "You're so thoughtful!" He blushed again as I kissed him, and I thought Sigmund was going to tear out his feathers in frustration. Kyle was smirking in satisfaction at his rival's reaction. Fanboy and Chum Chum came up to me with hopeful smiles as they set one gift on my lap. I opened it, expecting a comic book or action figure of some sort, but like the first day I met them, the superheroes surprised me. Instead it was a scrapbook titled "Fun Times".The cover had bits of macaroni and stickers stuck, and some of the dried glue was still visible. No doubt they did it themselves. Inside were pictures of the different moments of us together. Let me just say I had no idea Chum Chum always kept a camera around with him, considering some of the pictures. There were pictures of us at the Frosty Mart, playing at the park, eating lunch together at recess, Kyle and me dancing together at the dance, me kicking Sigmund at the dance (it was this picture that caused Sigmund to squirm a little in his roosting position), the three of us playing in the snow, and also plenty of me giving Boog what for at the park. This one gift felt more important to me than any amount of gold or silver in the world. My eyes filled with tears. "Oh my gosh, this is so sweet! You guys are so awesome!" We hugged again, and to emphasize my thanks I gave them a small, friend-to-friend kiss on the top of their heads. Their eyes bugged out in surprise, making me laugh.

"I know!" Fanboy exclaimed suddenly. "Let's take a group photo for the next addition to the scrapbook!" Kyle and Sigmund weren't enthusiastic about the idea of having their pictures taken while in chicken form, but they went along with it anyways. I slid it under the plastic divider to go next to the other photos. Everything felt so complete, until Fanboy said, "Sigmund, didn't you get anything?" The sorcerer had been relatively quiet the whole time, and none of us realized until now that he hadn't received anything.

"Don't worry," he responded. "I wasn't expect-" He stopped and his eyes grew wide at something on me. I thought at first I might've had something crawling on me until he flew over and pulled my necklace out, which I was hiding under my sweater. "Y-you're actually wearing my necklace?" Sigmund's voice was so soft and in awe he almost sounded like a little kid. I nodded subtly and gave Kyle a look that meant I would explain to him in private later. I didn't have the heart to tell Sigmund about my mom's wishes. His blue eyes were practically beaming with joy. "Oh, you have know idea how much this means to me. I didn't think you'd actually wear it. Thank you! That's the best gift you could give to me." Surprisingly, my heart softened a little with Sigmund. Sure, he did cause some trouble along the way, but this moment made me realize he actually had feelings of his own. This one small act seemed to break down that wall hiding his emotions and convey them to me. Honestly I almost even liked him until all the things he did to Kyle back at Milkweed filled my mind again.

Something happened a minute later that made Sigmund's evening. I left for a moment to bring some more punch out from the kitchen; I had a question for Kyle, so I went back out and stopped in the doorway. Almost immediately, Kyle, Sigmund, Fanboy, and Chum Chum lined up in front of me. I was confused until Kyle pointed up. I looked, and directly above my head was a small sprig of mistletoe. Honestly I should've been expecting that. But who am I to break a tradition? I let Fanboy kiss me on the cheek and stooped down to let Chum Chum kiss me on the other. They left giggling like a couple of schoolgirls. Since Kyle and Sigmund didn't have any lips currently, they began to argue over which one should receive a kiss first. It was pretty much futile, so I broke it up and kissed Kyle on top of the beak and his cheeks. I did the same to Sigmund, and those kisses pretty much ruined him for life. I thought he was going to have a heart attack for a moment until he placed his wing to his cheek.

"I'm never washing this cheek again," the German sighed. He seemed to float on air as he went back to where he was sitting originally. I brought the punch out that time and set Kyle in my lap. I felt a nervous sensation in my tummy, for it was time for me to give him his big present: his wand. I pulled it out of the shopping bag I kept the other gifts in and turned to him.

"Kyle, while you were trying to lay your egg," I told him, "I wanted to do something that made it all better. I couldn't have obtained this gift if it wasn't for the help of Scrivener Elf and the Necronomicon, as well as your own magical instruction. This is for you from the three of us, and I hope you like it." Kyle took the box and noticed the tag, which sure enough said "From Jessica, Scrivener Elf, and the Necronomicon". When he popped off the lid his eyes lit up with excitement.

"I don't believe it!" he cried. His wing shaking, he held the wand above his head. "You rebuilt me a wand while I was ailing?" I blushed and nodded. I thought the grin on Kyle's face would last forever, and his eyes teared up a little. "This is truly the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. You three have made me such a happy wizard! Why I feel...I feel..." Suddenly Kyle let out a loud cluck, and in the blink of an eye, he laid his egg! He was sitting on top it perfectly, and at the same time Sigmund laid his as well! Neither of them could believe it. "Why, we became so happy tonight we laid our eggs!" They stepped off as the eggs cracked open and the fairy doctors cured them, making them their human selves again. "WE'RE CURED!" I have never seen two boys so happy before in my life. The eight of us had a group hug. Of all the hugs I've ever received in my life, this was possibly one of the best. Suddenly Kyle's clock chimed seven o' clock.

"Oh no!" I moaned. "I was supposed to be home by seven!" I gave the others quick hugs and Kyle a quick kiss as we said goodbye and I ran out the door with my bag of gifts and my Scrivener Elfette at my heels. She materialized out of sight before I walked inside. I wasn't too late, and my parents weren't mad at me. Over Christmas dinner I told them about the fun I had at Kyle's (excluding the parts about the wand and kissing and such), and they were glad I had a good time. We opened presents of our own after dinner, and as I was getting ready for bed (also while Esmeralda was making her a sleeping spot in one of my dresser drawers) that night the phone rang. It was Kyle. "Kyle, I'm sorry we had to leave in such a hurry."

"Jessica, you're such a sweetheart," he chuckled. "You apologize a lot, you know that?" I admitted I did; it was a habit of mine for some reason. "You're cute when you're like that, but don't be sorry. I understand completely. I don't want your parents mad at me. It would practically ruin my life if I could never see you again. You're so different from the other girls, Jessica. Why do you need me to teach you when you have your own special magic? You make my day brighter just by being yourself."

"Awww Kyle," I gushed. "You're just saying that." I laughed as he tried to insist he was being serious. "Kyle, even if you weren't a wizard you'd still be the sweet, charming, and romantic guy I see you as. I wish other guys could be like you." I glanced at the clock. "It's getting a little late, so I guess I'll go on to bed now, but I'll talk to you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Kyle. I love you."

"I love you, too," he answered. "Merry Christmas, darling." We kissed through the phone and hung up. I was too happy to fall asleep that night. In my mind I contemplated on everything that happened since we moved to Galaxy Hills. I still missed my family and friends back home, but I really adapted to living here comfortably. I had two best friends, a boyfriend that loves me for who I am, a magical elf of my own, not to mention all the other sights in Galaxy Hills, like the Frosty Mart, one of our official hangout spots. They say moving is a hard time in a kid's life, but after what I've been through so far, I'd like to disagree. As long as you're motivated to adapt, it's easy to call any place home. I'm Jessica, and my new home is here, in Galaxy Hills, Ohio, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The end.


End file.
